The StayReal Cafe at Guangzhou's Parc Central has recently seen long queues at its entrance, with the store packed and orders streaming in continuously. This is not a promotion for a new store, but a farewell—due to the lease expiring and the brand not renewing it, this trendy coffee shop co-founded by Mayday's Ashin and artist No2Good is about to withdraw from Guangzhou. The StayReal clothing store in the same mall closed the night before, while the coffee shop will remain open until October 27. From the opening of its first South China store in 2016, which invited world-class coffee master Lin Dongyuan to show support and saw hundreds of fans queue overnight, to now closing stores one after another due to lease expirations, StayReal Cafe's situation reflects the dilemma celebrity catering brands face between fan economy and the mass market. Some netizens say that if the Guangzhou Parc Central store ends operations, the brand's coffee shops will have only one left in Shanghai. [more…]

Starbucks partnered with Stayreal, the streetwear brand co-founded by Mayday lead singer Ashin and Taiwanese artist No2Good, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the band's fans and netizens alike. The online limited-edition themed cups were snapped up by tens of thousands of people the moment they went on sale, with the official app and mini-program lagging due to overwhelming traffic. Some users failed to complete payment and missed out on the cups they wanted, sparking complaints. Meanwhile, the limited-edition Starbucks gift sets released at physical stores, thanks to their relatively low threshold for acquisition, attracted a large number of fans who queued up with stools in the early hours of the morning. This collaboration craze showcased the fans' frenzy while also exposing the inadequate capacity of online channels and the controversy over offline queuing rules. [more…]

Recently, StayReal, the streetwear brand founded by Mayday's Ashin and artist No2Good, held a limited-time art exhibition in Shanghai, drawing a large number of fans to visit and take photos. Surprisingly, however, a Starbucks store next door to the exhibition unexpectedly went viral thanks to its employees' playful cheering. Staff held up creative signs incorporating Mayday lyrics, prepared limited-edition cup stickers and merchandise perks for fans, and even offered a cheerful "call-out service," keeping the fans waiting in line laughing nonstop. This mutual embrace between fans and Starbucks employees not only eased the boredom of waiting in line, but also won the brand a great deal of goodwill. [more…]

Starbucks collaborated with Stayreal, the streetwear brand co-founded by Mayday lead singer Ashin and No2Good, to launch limited-edition merchandise, and the news immediately drew a large amount of fan attention. However, before the campaign had even officially started, social media exposed that employees at some stores had sold the not-yet-released co-branded glass cups in advance to acquaintances, and there were even reports of bundling the merchandise with Starbucks rice dumplings to meet performance targets. These actions sparked strong consumer dissatisfaction, with many demanding an official explanation. The brand later responded that it had internally instructed stores to strictly prohibit reserving items for themselves or bundling them, and had recovered the cups that were sold early. [more…]